Long time no post here. Still no narrative blogpost b/c virtually all our activities are client-confidential – sorry. But here is a synopsis of the drug repurposing patent discussions that you can soon read in full, in ASSAY and Drug Development Technologies. We shall start with documents published during Q4/2018. Remember, this is only a selection – there are many more that are interesting but did not make it into the limited space in the journal. (The upcoming issue will publiosh discussions for Q1/2019 side-by-side and we will post a synopsis of these too.)
WO/2018/178247 (Nestec S.A., Switzerland)
Treatment and prevention of obesity covering all agents that have been reported to decrease or otherwise affect the activity of ANK1. Acetaminophen, amiodarone, carbamazepine, chlorpromazine, ethinylestradiol, immunosuppressants, antibiotics, and oncology agents are listed.
WO/2018/178260 (INSERM et al., France)
Treatment of extrahepatic viral infection with obeticholic acid (approved for primary biliary cirrhosis and under investigation for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and other FXR agonists.
WO/2018/190685 (Yonsei University, Korea)
Bisphosphonates improve the function of kidney allografts and increase their long-term survival, but only after 100 months.
WO/2018/193652 (Research Mind, Inc., Japan)
Combinations of a circadian rhythm regulator (melatonin receptor agonists, such as the insomnia agents ramelteon and tasimelteon) and tetracyclines (e.g., minocycline) that prevent sterile (!) inflammatory responses in the brain, to combat delirium in the intensive care unit.
WO/2018/195392 (Thomas Jefferson University, USA)
The MEK1/2 inhibitor trametinib (approved for metastatic melanoma) prevents postsurgical peritoneal adhesions.
WO/2018/197463 (Akribes Biomedical GmbH, Austria)
PARP inhibitors approved for cancer have differential effects on wound closure in tissues from diabetics.
WO/2018/202866 (Valencia University Clinic, Spain)
Palbociclib, a kinase inhibitor marketed for the treatment of breast cancer, decreases insulin release in a mouse model of dyslipidemia and accelerated atherosclerosis. It also decreased hepatic steatosis in a mouse model deficient in hepatic lipase.
WO/2018/208826 (Meharry Medical College, USA)
Hydroxyurea, the original drug for sickle cell disease, improves sperm viability – but how exactly? – Also note WO/2018/232352 from the University of California claiming hydroxyurea for prevention of congenital heart disease.
WO/2018/213027 (GenEros Biopharma Ltd., China)
Pimozide, a “typical” antipsychotic discovered in 1963 and a STAT5 antagonist, is beneficial in the adjuvant arthritis rat model.
WO/2018/215628 (CEMM – Forschungszentrum für Molekulare Medizin GmbH, Austria)
Two old sulfonylurea antidiabetics, acetohexamide and glimepiride, exert protective effects against UV irradiation by inhibiting expression of Muthy, a DNA repair glycosylase.
WO/2018/219187 (Shanghai-Hoffen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., China)
Pulmonary administration of low doses of cephalosporin in a rat model of pulmonary hypertension reduces pulmonary artery pressure, mitigates right ventricular hypertrophy, alleviates pulmonary vascular remodeling, and reduces pulmonary vascular thickness by inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.
WO/2018/229119 (Inventor-Applicant, Germany)
Bromhexine, a secretolytic drug that was first introduced in 1963 and is still in use as an OTC expectorant in many European countries, could treat neuropathic pain.